17 May 2017

The physician burnout epidemic in the United States continues to worsen. Alarmingly, according to the new Medscape Lifestyle Report 2017: Race and Ethnicity, Bias and Burnout, Emergency medicine now has a burnout rate of nearly 60 percent—the highest of any medical specialty.

Most physicians enter the medical profession because the work is meaningful and gives them a sense of purpose. According to a recent article in NEJM Catalyst, “burnout becomes epidemic” when physicians’ frustration with the current healthcare system’s “demands, limitations, and inconsistencies” impede their efforts to deliver excellent care.

10 May 2017

One of the ways in which Envision Physician Services invests in its physicians’ and physician leaders’ professional development is to send selected anesthesia providers and practice managers to the Anesthesia Business Group (ABG) Executive Management Program. This exclusive, four-day, on-campus, residential program is offered during the first quarter of each year by ABG in partnership with the Wharton School of Business. It has been Wharton Executive Education’s most highly rated program for five years in a row. The 2017 session took place February 12–16.

26 April 2017

In the first moments of a newborn’s life, obstetricians make multiple crucial decisions to provide optimal medical care. One of those decisions is the right time to cut the umbilical cord. While it has traditionally been cut immediately after birth to quickly clean and deliver the newborn to its expecting parents, the health care community has started to rethink this age-old practice. The latest official change in thinking has come from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), which recently recommended that obstetricians wait at least 30 to 60 seconds before cutting the umbilical cord, as reported by The New York Times.

19 April 2017

According to the CDC, there are more than 230,000 people diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. each year. For these patients, determination of whether cancer cells have metastasized to other parts of the body significantly influences decisions about treatment.

While a pathologist’s report is generally considered the gold standard in the diagnosis of cancer, reviewing diagnostic slides is an extremely complicated task, even for specialists with years of training and experience. Different pathologists can arrive at variable diagnoses for the same patient, which can result in misdiagnoses. Diagnostic agreement for some forms of breast cancer can be as low as 48%. That number is unsurprising, considering the...

11 April 2017

In a recent joint report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have released the recommended childhood and adolescent immunization schedules for 2017. While immunization schedules are typically updated annually, medical professionals view some of the recent schedule updates as significant changes for pediatricians. Influenced by new trends in nationwide adolescent health, notable changes to the recommendations include:

1. Adolescents should no longer be given the live attenuated influenza vaccine. Flu-related hospitalizations and deaths have spiked nationwide since the start of the 2016–2017 flu season. Children younger...

4 April 2017

An early proponent of Healthcare Bluebook, AMSURG was proud to be at the March 14 launch of their new healthcare marketplace price and quality tool for consumers in Nashville. AMSURG President Phillip Clendenin spoke at the event, emphasizing the consumer benefits of this tool. “It’s easier for healthcare insiders to understand how to shop for healthcare,” said Clendenin. “But this tool turns all consumers into insiders.”

HCBB demystifies health system pricing and quality ratings, helping consumers find high-quality care at a fair price. Through their new marketplace comparison tool, which is free to all Nashville healthcare consumers, the company plans to help the city’s nearly...

28 March 2017

On National Doctors’ Day, we honor all physicians and express our gratitude for their dedication to their patients and commitment to our profession. This year, we also want to bring special attention and thanks to the many doctors and other clinicians who, in addition to their day-to-day contributions in their practices, generously volunteer their skills and time and open their hearts and wallets to help those in need.

Humanitarian Medical Missions

In previous posts, we have spotlighted some of our physicians who have joined humanitarian missions overseas. For example, pediatric anesthetist Richard Berlin, MD is the associate chief medical officer for Operation Smile, which delivers free surgical care to patients...

28 March 2017

Air Force major Jerry Gay and his pregnant wife, Mary, were looking forward to the expected February 9 arrival of their new daughter. Mary was at home in Georgia and Jerry was deployed in Qatar, in the Middle East. But the couple’s joy became tempered with fear when Mary’s ob-gyn, Dr. Alex Eaccarino, noticed a spot that didn’t look quite normal during Mary’s 30-week checkup, per a recent story on Fox 5 Atlanta.

The spot turned out to be uterine scarring from Mary’s prior cesarean-section deliveries. The scarring increased her risk for a placenta accreta, a potentially life-threatening obstetric condition that occurs when part or all of the placenta invades the uterine wall and is...

23 March 2017

Sheridan’s Chief Quality Officer Gerald Maccioli, MD, MBA, FCCM sees physician engagement as essential for all stakeholders. He spoke with Becker’s ASC Review recently about the value of investing in comprehensive professional development opportunities for physicians to keep them engaged.

“We all want the quadruple aim—which includes a satisfied population of physicians,” he said in the Q & A. “If engagement isn't developed, you are never going to get to that. It will always be a push and pull rather than a rolling together phenomenon.”

21 March 2017

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) publishes an annual list of 10 Breakthrough Technologies. Three innovations from this year’s list promise to have a dramatic impact on the future of medicine.

Brain Implants that Reverse the Effects of Paralysis

In recent years, brain implants have enabled lab animals and even a few people to use thoughts to control computer cursors or robotic arms. According to the 2017 MIT report, researchers are “taking a significant next step toward reversing paralysis once and for all” using what French neuroscientist Grégoire Courtine calls a “neural bypass.” Wireless implants transmit electrical impulses from brain to spinal cord, bypassing...